Sakamoto Mio
Sakamoto Mio (坂本美緒) is a witch of the 501st Joint Fighter Wing, originating from Fuso and affiliated with the Fuso Imperial Navy. She is sometimes referred to by the alias of Samurai (サムライ). Background A first-class veteran Witch who won great renown in the preliminary encounters with the Neuroi, such as the Fuso Sea Incident in 1937. In the beginning of her career, Mio was under the guidance of Kitagou Fumika and had a rivalry with Wakamoto Tetsuko. She was one of the first test pilots of the Striker Units using Miyafuji theory. There was also a period when she trained in Romagna. Her teacher at the time, Anna Ferrara, worked her quite hard - causing the then young Fuso girl to resent the older woman to the point of writing insults at her bed. Even now, there are some signs that Mio is conscious of Anna as someone hard to deal with. Mio was deployed to Britannia since before the Neuroi's full-scale invasion, where she engaged in the development of the Type 0 Striker Unit. It was around this time that she became close acquaintances with Dr. Miyafuji, who spent all his time doing research in Europe. Because she has been living in Europe for a long time, she employs a car with a right hand drive specification. Mio remained in Europe even after the beginning of the invasion, shouldering part of Europe's defense as a member of the Fuso Imperial Navy European Dispatch Fleet Libau Flying Corps. During this time, Mio used to travel around long distances often. It was in one of such occasions that she first met Wing Commander Wilcke by chance while stopping at a Karlsland Army's base for supplies. She was also acquaintances with Air Commodore Galland (then a Flight Lieutenant), who fought in many battles across Europe. Following the collapse of Karlsland, Mio continued to defend Libau until the evacuation of the population was over. However, an injury sustained at that occasion forced her to temporarily return to Fuso. She had a good relationship with her superior at the time, Pilot Officer Takei (currently a Flight Lieutenant), and continued to maintain contact with her as a friend even after the evacuation of Libau. She was also friends with Nishizawa Yoshiko. Mio together with these two witches were called the "Libau Triumvirate". Originally, Mio's rank at her home unit in Fuso was Flight Lieutenant, but she was later promoted to Squadron Leader thanks to her achievements in the 501st Joint Fighter Wing. When talking about that, she once commented how her "actual rank finally became Squadron Leader". After the disband of the 501st JFW due the liberation of Gallia, she worked as a temporary instructor in a Navy Witches training academy as a form of recreation. However, she retired three months later and afterwards worked hard at training in order to fight with a weakened magic power. Around that time, Mio requested a reunion with her comrade in arms from the Fuso Sea Incident, Kuroe Ayaka, for the first time in 7 years and showed results in the secret sword technique "Unyou" during the ensuing mock battle. Later, this would become a foothold for the acquisition of the "Reppuzan". Later, she took an extended leave and secluded herself in a mountain to forge a Fuso sword infused with magic power - Reppumaru - in order to subjugate the weakening of her magic shield. At the final battle against the Neuroi Super-Hive in Venezia, Mio attempted to release a "Reppuzan" in order to save Flying Officer Clostermann and Flight Sergeant Bishop, who had been surrounded by a large number of Neuroi. However, by that point her magic power had already dried up, so not only she was unable to inflict a single damage, but the Reppumaru was sent flying away until it pierced the deck of the Yamato. Nevertheless, she still found a way to remain useful, using her remaining magic power to charge the magic dynamo of the Yamato. The Neuroi-fied ship then used its main cannon to destroy the Super-Hive's outer shell. However, the core itself was not destroyed, but instead absorbed both the Yamato and Mio, becoming capable of generating magic shields through the Witch's power. Mio was ultimately saved by the sacrifice of Sergeant Miyafuji, who used up all her magic power to perform a Shin Reppuzan and destroy the giant core. Personality She puts the whole team together with a fatherly atmosphere, playing an active role in battle as a superior front-line commander. She takes pride in having never lost a wingman. Broadminded and cheerful, she has a personality that is somewhat candidly mannish and does not fuss over the minor details of daily life. Mio is faithful to moral obligations and humane feelings, even sentimental in a sense. Her favorite motto is "simplicity and fortitude". Hot-blooded, at a glance she seems simply impulsive, but in battle she has both a cool and elaborate thinking and audacious behavior. No matter what kind of dilemma, she always seeks a solution without ever giving up. She is actually easily moved to tears, but never cries in front of others. The occasion when she wailed before Wing Commander Wilcke prior to the decisive battle out of frustration and hopelessness from her magic power drying up was an exception. Mio is adored by many Witches due to her personality and military service, but it seems that she herself is unaware of that. Although she is frequently approached by Flying Officer Clostermann from the same team, she believes that the girl's feelings are just those of a diligent subordinate towards its superior and doesn't notice any special favor at all. Wing Commander Wilcke, who had a long fellowship with Mio from since before the unit's formation, also becomes attached to her, becoming one of her most faithful and intimate companions. From Private Hijikata Keisuke (currently a Warrant Officer), her exclusive underling and chauffeur, Mio receives an absolute respect that borders worship. Mio is knowledgeable about the Way of Tea, but doesn't fuss about formal etiquette. She has a fondness for hot springs and was the on who had the idea of constructing a Fuso-style bathhouse at the 501st's base. In the only time Mio was shown using a shower, she did so because she didn't want people to see her crying. As seen in Tenkū no Otome-tachi, she also appears to be afraid of snakes, having fainted upon facing one while stranded on an island. Mio has no likes and dislikes regarding food and, so long it is eatable, she will eat anything without fail. On the other hand, she is not very good at cooking herself due having enrolled in the military since an early age. One of her troubles is the fact that, even though she can prepare a fish, her onigiri turn out round no matter how she tries to make them. Also by piling up training upon training, she mastered the "Higi - Tamagogiri" (秘技・卵斬り, secret technique - egg cutter) that slices an egg in a horizontal line with a Fuso sword. Abilities Mio's inherent magic is called Magic Eye (魔眼, Magan). Classified in the perception-lineage, her right eye can discern things in a far off distant place with super eyesight and even see through a domain that human eyesight normally cannot perceive. However, the limit is range that her field of vision reaches and cannot see past obstacles such as nighttime, deep clouds or structures. Also, it is difficult to control and remains permanently active, requiring the use of her eye-patch to cover it when not in use. In combat, this ability is employed for sighting a Neuroi from long-distances and confirming the position of the core in its interior. Incidentally, when Mio is low on magic power - due to injury or simple degradation caused by age - her vision loses its special functions and her right eye becomes a normal eye. With her Striker Unit's mobility and excellent skill, Mio can "see through" a beam and evade it. By the combination of the favorite sword that she herself tempered (Reppumaru) and excellent sword skills, a new attack - Reppuzan - was acquired. It's a technique that concentrates magical power at the tip of the sword to release a magical blow, which originally belongs to the telekinetic magic ability, and is extremely difficult for Sakamoto to learn since her magic is not a psychic type. It is a secret sword technic that has been used in Fuso since ancient times. Later, she became unable to use a magic shield, but acquired a new defensive method by "slicing in half" a Neuroi's beam with the Reppumaru. Mio excels at the leadership to amass subordinates and is proficient in training not only subordinates but also superiors, guiding their abilities. A training demon, Mio is strict with herself and others, but that is because she is more afraid than anyone else of losing a subordinate. She also has a training-mania side, keeping a pile of questionable training equipment such as kendo armors, bokutou, shinai, bows and arrows, naginata, sandboxes and iron balls in the hangar. Her dream is to rear an excellent subordinate who she can entrust things afterwards. She feels especially responsible for the rearing of Sergeant Miyafuji, the orphan of Dr. Miyafuji, who she is indebted to. Equipment Mio's Type 99 cannon has been remodeled from its original 20mm×101RB specifications - first into a 13.2mm×99 and later into a 12.7mm×99, the latter which is an easy-to-acquire ammunition used by the European Dispatch Corps. Her original Fuso sword had no name, though it was given to her by her first Master, Fumika Kitagou. Although some believe it to be a Masakuni, the authenticity of this is unknown. The Reppumaru she uses on the second season is a Fuso sword that she thoroughly tempered by driving her magic power into it. Strike Witches "What-if" — 1947 thumb|100px Group Captain Wilcke has a surprising guest late at night in her office: naval officer residing in Fuso Empire, Wing Commander Sakamoto This shouldn't be considered entirely canonical, because it was only tweeted by Humikane. Appearances Anime *Strike Witches Season 1 *Strike Witches Season 2 *Operation Victory Arrow *Strike Witches Movie Audio Media *Himegoe Voice Albums *Hime Uta Song Albums *Himebana Drama Albums *Himeroku Drama Albums *Strike Witches Gakuen *Himegoe CD 2 Voice Albums Light Novels * Strike Witches Otome no Maki * Strike Witches 2 * Strike Witches Short-Shorts: After the Sky ** Ichimen no Ao ** Koganeiro no Soup * Strike Witches 2 Visual Short Story ** 500overs in Africa * Strike Witches the Movie Visual Short Story ** Raise the Battle Ship Yamato in 1945 Manga *Tenkū no Otome-tachi *Kimi to Tsunagaru Sora *The Shape of Our Bond *Strike Witches Zero:1937 Fuso Sea Incident *Strike Witches Zero:1939 Koukaku no majo *Katayoku no Majotachi Video Games *'All of them!' Mio's Comments on Other Characters On Minna : "Wing Commander Minna is the cornerstone of the Witch unit. The care she shows to her Captains, and the attributes necessary for a Commander... she has everything that a unit leader needs. On top of that, she is an excellent soldier in an air battle. She can be a bit soft on the new recruits, but I suppose that's where I come in. *laugh*" On Lynne : "She's a kind girl who finds no joy in fighting, but she joined up recently to protect her homeland when she wanted to be of use to everyone. I'll have to do everything I can to help her become a full-fledged witch as a response to that spirit, I suppose. She has the makings to become a good Commander, with her ability to keep an eye on the whole situation from the rear." On Yoshika : "Her latent ability is impressive indeed. Not only with regards to her magic, but she also has perseverance and determination. It's my mission and duty to guide her on her path to becoming a full-fledged Witch, for the sake of my, no, the world's benefactor, Dr. Miyafuji." On Perrine : "She's of great help to me, helping out with training the rookies, among other things. She used to often be paired with me in a rotte during combat, but she'll be able to handle herself fine without me soon. She can be a bit harsh with Miyafuji, but that's probably because she worries about her. She's a good person. I don't really know why she always speaks so awkwardly around me though..." On Lucchini : "Ugh, she's an unbelievable little devil. She doesn't follow the rules, and always does as she pleases. However, it is true that Lucchini is a big part of the reason why everyone doesn't lose heart. Somehow, you just can't hate her. She's good friends with Shirley, and their abilities are a good match for each other in a rotte, so those two make a fine pair." On Shirley : "I suppose in Fuso we'd call her a true-born child of Edo? I enjoy straight-forward people like that. With regards to Striker outfitting, she's got the abilities to match any mechanic, so she's almost like a poster girl for Liberion, the undisputed king of the automobile. Strangely enough, she gets along very well with Lucchini." On Barkhorn : "I have nothing to criticize regarding her skills as a soldier, but I think she has a tendency to be too hard on herself as well as on others. Considering the current state of Karlsland, it might not be strange, but she really should try to rely a little more her comrades in arms. Oh well, I guess the way she judges herself the hardest is one of her good properties. When it comes to her skills in the air, she's one of the greatest aces together with Hartmann." On Hartmann : "Flying Officer Hartmann is our unit's ultra ace, and we're very proud of her. She always shows consideration towards you when you fly with her, and you can feel safe when you have her protecting your back. Well, I would like her to change her attitude when it comes to life outside the military, but I guess that's asking for too much. Seems like she's competing with Barkhorn for the most aerial victories. It will be interesting to see how far she can go." On Sanya : "It is thanks to Sanya we can all lay down and rest safely during the nights. My magical eye isn't too bad either, but when it comes to seeing far during the night, I don't think anything is better than Sanya's ability. However, it kind of worries me she's so shy and passive. I think it would be good for her to become a little more confident." On Eila : "Hm... She's a strange girl. It's almost as if she's living in another world. I never have any idea of what she's thinking. But she's great all-around in battle, and her ability to never get hit is admirable. She's been paired up with Sanya a lot lately, so she's gotten a lot of experience of fighting during the night, but she always does fine during the day too." Trivia *Mio is based on famous Japanese flying ace Sakai Saburo. He was gifted with an excellent vision and regularly trained his eyes by spotting stars during the daytime, or trying to discern far objects through palm tree leaves. Due to this training, he could spot enemy planes from farer than other pilots. He lost his right eye during combat. Mio eyepatch, scar in her earlier design and magic eye are probably references to this. *Her familiar is the Doberman. Gallery Mio.jpg Mio ad.jpg 7f65a5c6474a7e230c7f740cb505ce02.jpg 98a09d74d17fc8a2fde19df99cbbb661.jpg SakamotoScan.JPG|Mio with Tetsuko Wakamoto, 1937 SakamotoScan1.JPG 70134.png Saka47.jpg|Mio in 1947 Mina47.jpg|Mio with Minna in 1947 03005013370.jpg Shizuka, Yoshika, and Mio by shimada humikane.jpg|Sakamoto Mio, Miyafuji Yoshika, Hattori Shizuka References Category:Strike Witch Category:501st Joint Fighter Wing Category:Squadron Leaders Category:Strike Witches IF Category:Fuso